Thursday, November 26, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Have you seen the Target ads geared for Black Friday? The woman in them is hilarious! It's overzealous shoppers like her that make me avoid hitting the stores on Black Friday. The actress, Maria Bamford, who portrays the crazed shopper, has that special kind of Christmas-crazy down pat. She sort of reminds me of Amy Sedaris a little. She pokes fun at the serious shopper, who probably goes in with a game plan and a map of the store with marked areas where the deals are located. Most of my friends find this woman highly annoying and some are even afraid, but I think she is freakin' hilarious! Here's to winning Christmas!

Friday, November 13, 2009

When I was little, my mom used to tell me that I was named after the model Suzy Parker. I had no idea who she was at the time, but my mom knew all about her telling me how beautiful and famous she was. Apparently she was one of the busiest and well known models from the late 40's to the early 60's. She had an elegant and sophisticated look that captured the styles from that era.

Suzy was the first model to earn $100,000 per year, and the only model to have a Beatles song named after her, even if an unreleased one. Suzy's photo appeared in Life magazine at age 15. One of her first magazine advertisements was also at 15 for DeRosa Jewelry. Although she still lived with her parents in Florida, she stayed in New York City with her sister Dorian (also a model) when she had modeling assignments there. Dorian introduced Suzy to her fashion photographer friends, Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, John Rawlings, and a young Richard Avedon. Suzy became Avedon's muse. At age 61, she said, "The only joy I ever got out of modeling was working with Dick Avedon."

Parker became the "signature face" of Coco Chanel. Coco became a close confidante, giving her advice when it came to men and money as well as creating numerous Chanel outfits for her. She was the first model to earn $200 per hour and $100,000 per year. Vogue declared her one of the faces of the confident, post-war American woman.

Avedon suggested Suzy for the movie Funny Face (1957). Fred Astaire's role was based on Avedon, whose photos appeared in the movie. Audrey Hepburn's role was inspired by Suzy, just as Hepburn's role in Breakfast at Tiffany's was supposedly based on her sister Dorian's promiscuous lifestyle. Suzy appeared in the movie for only about two minutes.
Her other credits included Kiss Them for Me opposite Cary Grant (1957), The Best of Everything (1959), Ten North Frederick starring Gary Cooper (1959), Circle of Deception (1960) where she met future husband Bradford Dillman, Flight from Ashiya (1964), Chamber of Horrors (1966) and dramatic roles in TV shows such as Burke's Law and The Twilight Zone plus appearances as herself on a number of quiz shows like I've Got a Secret.
After marrying her third husband, Dillman, in 1963, and suffering injuries in a car accident in 1964, she mostly retired from modeling and acting to live a quiet life in Montecito, California with her large family. She passed away in 2003 at the age of 70.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

In a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, I came across an article on needle felting. It showed how to use needles to mesh the fibers of the felt to create lovely patterns on pillows and scarves. After searching for books on needle felting, this lovely little book appeared to me. It is called Little Felted Animals. Seeing the little creatures that I can create, made me fall in love with this craft. I'm definitely picking up a copy soon and giving this a try.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I love decorating with letters. You can use an initial or spell out a word. Its a great way for your home to make a statement...literally! Ever since seeing old episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show, and seeing the large "M" mounted on her wall, I have always wanted to do the same thing in my own home, to put my personal stamp on it. There are so many wonderful ways to make a statement with letters that the possibilities are infinite. Below are a few of my favorites, including my own "S" to be just like Mary.

My big "S" above my door...please ignore the ugly popcorn ceiling!

Love the retro lettering on the liquor sign. You can tell that there are tons of fun parties in this space.

Love how all these letters look on the wall.

My sister has the word "EAT" in her kitchen, which looks super cute...if you want to get more fancy you could spell out "cuisine", "pesto" or even "braise"...whatever you do or make in the kitchen.

OMG...this is just adorable! I love it!

This is such a fun look! Bunkbeds have never looked more inviting....I wonder if you could use the letters as a ladder to climb up to the top bunk?

Love how the letters mimic the metal bathtub. Adds a lovely rustic country feel to the room.

Love the use of big bold letters used here. Really makes a graphic statement!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

SEPTA, the company that runs Philadelphia's buses, trains and trolleys stated the other day that the union workers would not strike during the World Series games in the city....but within 2 1/2 hours of the end of the 5th World Series game, they went on strike. Now the city is being held hostage, with no public transportation available. I felt bad for those folks who were left stranded last night, unaware that the strike even began. It would have been nice if they would have at least waited until midnight tonight, so that people could prepare themselves if a strike were to happen rather than be taken unaware. I'm sure many of the folks who stayed in town and celebrated the Phillies win were screwed when they realized that their bus was not coming to pick them up.

It astounds me that SEPTA negotiators rejected an 11% wage increase in the next 5 years, no increase in co-pays, and an 11% pension increase! Especially during a time when many folks have lost their pensions, or their jobs for that matter. Who do they think they are?? Hell, I didn't even get a raise this year! Its no wonder that ridership is down on all the trains and buses. There is no concern for their riders or the affect it will have on people's lives. SEPTA union negotiators countered that they have been operating with no contract since March, but seriously, why complain? It's not like they weren't getting paid, unlike many city workers who experienced pay cuts and even stoppages. These SEPTA negotiators seem out of touch with what is happening with the rest of the city. Mayor Nutter was on TV this morning fuming over this latest rejection. He felt that it was a fair offer, considering that unemployment is up to 11% in the city. The Mayor felt that the rejection was a slap in the face to the city, and I must say I have to agree. Sorry, I just needed to vent about this issue because if I don't I may explode!

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Stuff About Me

Hi I'm Sue from Philadelphia, PA...lover of flea markets, animals, thrift shop finds and vintage furniture, accessories, clothing, vinyl and 8-Track tapes. Interested in interior design, arts and crafts and cooking. Especially love baking! I'm not a vegetarian, but I would like to learn some great vegetarian recipes. I'm also interested in learning more about vegan baking as well.